28 Jun 2021

Let’s set the scene: You’re in the middle of your third lockdown, in the constant cycle between Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and an email banner pops up at the top of your phone.

Hurry! 30% off candles ends tonight!

You frantically click on the email, get onto the page and add six candles to your basket. Hey, if you’re staying at home for a couple of weeks, may as well get your house smelling nice, right?

Businesses and companies are bloody loving this. You’re buying more and more because you can’t really do much else. You’re constantly on your phone, so these sneaky emails know how to get you. Buying things is filling a void as it’s something that you think you’re missing. 

Now you’re probably thinking, has online shopping really affected us that much? Well, over four in five Australian households (nearly 9 million people) made an online purchase during 2020 according to the Australia Post. That’s 82% of all households. Crazy stats!

Unless it’s a fresh new pair of trackie dacks (lockdown essentials, duh) or your weekly grocery shop, do you really need anything? Let's be real, probably not. So here are our tips on how to stop impulse buying.

Give yourself an allowance

Budget accordingly to give yourself some play money for whatever you want to spend it on and avoid withdrawing from another account. It’ll teach you not to buy random expensive purchases out of nowhere + the flexibility to still get the things you want.

Follow the two-week buying rule

Find a bag that you love and need to have? Wait a couple of weeks and see if you still want it just as much. Sometimes you won’t and that’s fine - you’ve just saved yourself some moola! Plus, two weeks? It might have gone on sale in that time too, bargain!

Block Google notifications or ads

Ever scrolled through your newsfeed and thought your phone was listening to you because you're getting ads from dog food when you only JUST typed it into your search engine? It’s impossible to avoid being marketed to, especially on your socials but start with getting an ad blocker or turning off your Google notifications. It’s a few simple clicks!

Avoid using a line of credit

Something that has really affected my spending habits is the Buy Now, Pay Later scheme. It’s super handy to use at Christmas time when I’ve failed to put away some money and left it to the last minute but probably not something you should use for every purchase - they all add up! Plus, all the late fees and your credit score getting affected? No, thanks.

Unsubscribe from email lists

These online businesses are sly - whenever you’re in a rush to purchase something in your cart, you’ll generally tick “yes” to receive promotions and offers. Or, maybe you’ve gone onto a website and prompted to “spin the wheel” for a measly ten percent discount (kinda sucks, not going to lie) and you’ve popped in your email. What about the classic “pop in your email to receive your welcome discount code!” (by the way, just Google *insert business name* vouchers and it’ll pop up). 

First of all, is it worth their emails jamming your inbox for the next couple of years until you burst and go on a unsubscribe rampage for that ten percent discount? Probably not. But all you gotta do is scroll down to the “unsubscribe” button and sometimes, give them a reason as to why. Because it’s borderline spam, you trolls!